Phili 1:25 | KingComments | STEP | . The love of Christ for the church was the deciding factor for Paul. If he remained alive it was good for the church and therefore he would remain alive. If you have Christ and His interests in your mind you will know peace and rest. How can one look after the interests of Christ? It is by looking after the interests of the church. Paul’s mind is at rest. His trust in God only became still stronger through these exercises. He has a certainty to remain with his beloved Philippians. The result is that he can help them further in the way of faith. This again shows that they in turn can live their faith with even more joy. Faith is not a statistical or a doctrinal matter, or any other boring or miserable matter. Faith is dynamic; it sets people in motion. The purpose is that you grow in faith. When faith increases, and when your knowledge of Him and what you believe increase, your joy will also increase. From the beginning faith and joy belonged together ( ) as sorrow and repentance go together ( ). Show that you are a happy Christian! . Paul longs to be back with the Philippians. Not to receive all sorts of thank you sayings from them. Also not to be admired for his special experiences. No, he would gladly contribute to the glory of Christ Jesus. The progress achieved on the way of faith and the great joy his ministry worked out should not redound to his honor but to the glory of Christ. Again and again we see how the servant pales into insignificance in order to make room for the One Whom his heart is filled with. I wish this is so with everyone who does a service to you and also with you if you do a service to another. Every service has value or worth only when it increases the glory of Christ. . Here begins a new passage in this letter which goes till chapter 2:11. Until now he wrote about his personal attitude toward the Philippians, what they meant for him and what he meant for them. Now he moves to another point, and that is how it is about the church in relation to Christ. Paul focuses his attention to the practical condition of the believers, their walk, their behavior, and on what the world would see in them. Here he has two things in his mind. First they should stand firm in one spirit and second they should not be terrified in anything by their opponents. These two factors have an interaction: if they are standing firm in one spirit, they will have the strength to fight the enemy. is a rich verse. It begins with ‘walk’ and ends with ‘fight’, and spirit and mind stand in between. First he speaks to them about their “conduct” which should be “worthy of the gospel of Christ”. That means that they should lead a life that befits the dignity of the gospel. When we say that we believe the gospel and at the same time live as the world does then we blemish the gospel. Then we are not worthy representatives of the gospel. The word ‘conduct’ is related to the word citizenship ( ). We can compare it with the position of the residents of Philippi. The city of Philippi was a colony, an outpost of Rome. The city was in an area far away from Rome, but it was governed by the laws of Rome. Applying this, we can say that we are an outpost of heaven on earth, a piece of heaven on the earth. We are surrounded by enemies. In this strange world we have to uphold the honor of heaven, the place where we are really at home. Our conversation, our approach and our whole behavior must be in agreement with the worthiness of heaven where we are at home. We have become citizens of heaven through the gospel and there we are at home. Our task is to walk and behave correspondingly with that place. Paul lays great emphasis on the significance of a worthy walk. On the one hand he stresses that their walk must be completely detached from his person. Whether he is with them or not, that is beside the point. They all should strive together in practice. On the other hand he expresses his deep compassion for them and his personal commitment to this matter. He would like to see in them or hear of them striving side by side. It is all about standing together. How can they do that? When they all have the same conviction and the same goal to pursue. The onslaught here is directed against the unity of Christians. That is why the call is to stand together firmly. Conflicting interests defuses the energy. Mutual interests bind together. That means to be “in one spirit”. Sometimes you can have the same conviction, but you may not want to stand up for that conviction. That is why it is important that we also fight together “with one mind” (cf. ). This is lacking sometimes even among very committed people. We can take up a fight if we are inspired and convinced of the matter that we stand for. The commitment in this fight is no less than the “faith of the gospel”. Jude calls to contend earnestly for the faith ( ). He means that we must hold on to all truths which God has given to us in His word and defend them against the attacks of the enemy. Paul says here that all what the Person of Jesus Christ is must be shown to the world. That provokes hostility and we must unite with Him against it. We have accepted Him, and when we are consistent in following Him, we partake of what was done to Him. . If you fight along with others like this, the enemy will try to intimidate you. He will use all means to terrify you. The word “alarmed” is used for horses that are frightened so that they refuse to go further. The devil can take up the form of “a roaring lion” ( ). He can show up his wide open mouth in many different ways. But when your confidence remains fixed on the Lord he can do you no harm. The Lord has overcome the world ( ) and rendered the devil powerless ( ). And if you resist the enemy this way he will have to admit his impotence. This acknowledgment at the same time is a clear “sign of destruction”. The proof of destruction of the enemy lies in the fact that we are not terrified by him. Despite the world’s power at his disposal the enemy is powerless against the power of God. You need not fear however strong the opponents are. That does not mean that we should underestimate the power of the enemy. Never underestimate his power ( ). For the believer resistance from the world is always proof of his salvation. That seems to be a strange argument. To understand this we must bear in mind that we live in a world which is not yet openly ruled by Christ. For instance you can ask why committed Christians should suffer. If things go well with the opponents, and when they even have a say, is it not proof that God is on their side? It is quite the opposite. In 2 Thessalonians 1 you get the same proof ( ). You read that the believers are now oppressed, but when the Lord Jesus reigns, they will rule with Him. Today’s sufferings are proof that God is on the side of the believers. . However, struggle and suffering, resistance and opposition are not absolute proofs that you are on the right side. You may know that and it could give some comfort and you may consider it an inevitable evil from which unfortunately you cannot escape. But that is below the measure of faith you have. Suffering for Christ however strange that might sound is a privilege. To believe in Him is certainly a great privilege, and your experience too must affirm it. But in addition to the privilege of believing in Christ, to suffer for His sake is an equally great privilege ( ; ). If we do not know this suffering, we must ask ourselves, if we desire to live Godly ( ). This is all about suffering for His sake. This is a suffering that is your portion in this world, if you have chosen to be on the side of the rejected Lord and have chosen to walk in fellowship with Him. You will experience this suffering if you look at the world as an area where you have nothing to seek and nothing to lose. Are you ready for it? . What Paul wrote to the Philippians was not theory. He knew what trouble they had. They had seen that conflict in him when he was with them for the first time ( ). Now when Epaphroditus read out this letter and explained it they heard of his conflict in the Roman imprisonment. Paul connects with the Philippians in their conflict. This is true brotherly fellowship. He wants them to know that he is one with them. This is the only thing that can win hearts. Then you can be physically separated by distance but intimately connected in the heart.. Now read Philippians 1:25-30 again. Reflection: How can you conduct worthy of the gospel?

‏ Philippians 1:25

Conduct Worthy of the Gospel

Phil 1:25. The love of Christ for the church was the deciding factor for Paul. If he remained alive it was good for the church and therefore he would remain alive. If you have Christ and His interests in your mind you will know peace and rest. How can one look after the interests of Christ? It is by looking after the interests of the church.

Paul’s mind is at rest. His trust in God only became still stronger through these exercises. He has a certainty to remain with his beloved Philippians. The result is that he can help them further in the way of faith. This again shows that they in turn can live their faith with even more joy.

Faith is not a statistical or a doctrinal matter, or any other boring or miserable matter. Faith is dynamic; it sets people in motion. The purpose is that you grow in faith. When faith increases, and when your knowledge of Him and what you believe increase, your joy will also increase. From the beginning faith and joy belonged together (Acts 16:34) as sorrow and repentance go together (2Cor 7:10). Show that you are a happy Christian!

Phil 1:26. Paul longs to be back with the Philippians. Not to receive all sorts of thank you sayings from them. Also not to be admired for his special experiences. No, he would gladly contribute to the glory of Christ Jesus. The progress achieved on the way of faith and the great joy his ministry worked out should not redound to his honor but to the glory of Christ. Again and again we see how the servant pales into insignificance in order to make room for the One Whom his heart is filled with. I wish this is so with everyone who does a service to you and also with you if you do a service to another. Every service has value or worth only when it increases the glory of Christ.

Phil 1:27. Here begins a new passage in this letter which goes till chapter 2:11. Until now he wrote about his personal attitude toward the Philippians, what they meant for him and what he meant for them. Now he moves to another point, and that is how it is about the church in relation to Christ. Paul focuses his attention to the practical condition of the believers, their walk, their behavior, and on what the world would see in them.

Here he has two things in his mind. First they should stand firm in one spirit and second they should not be terrified in anything by their opponents. These two factors have an interaction: if they are standing firm in one spirit, they will have the strength to fight the enemy. Phil 1:27 is a rich verse. It begins with ‘walk’ and ends with ‘fight’, and spirit and mind stand in between.

First he speaks to them about their “conduct” which should be “worthy of the gospel of Christ”. That means that they should lead a life that befits the dignity of the gospel. When we say that we believe the gospel and at the same time live as the world does then we blemish the gospel. Then we are not worthy representatives of the gospel.

The word ‘conduct’ is related to the word citizenship (Phil 3:20). We can compare it with the position of the residents of Philippi. The city of Philippi was a colony, an outpost of Rome. The city was in an area far away from Rome, but it was governed by the laws of Rome.

Applying this, we can say that we are an outpost of heaven on earth, a piece of heaven on the earth. We are surrounded by enemies. In this strange world we have to uphold the honor of heaven, the place where we are really at home. Our conversation, our approach and our whole behavior must be in agreement with the worthiness of heaven where we are at home. We have become citizens of heaven through the gospel and there we are at home. Our task is to walk and behave correspondingly with that place.

Paul lays great emphasis on the significance of a worthy walk. On the one hand he stresses that their walk must be completely detached from his person. Whether he is with them or not, that is beside the point. They all should strive together in practice. On the other hand he expresses his deep compassion for them and his personal commitment to this matter. He would like to see in them or hear of them striving side by side.

It is all about standing together. How can they do that? When they all have the same conviction and the same goal to pursue. The onslaught here is directed against the unity of Christians. That is why the call is to stand together firmly. Conflicting interests defuses the energy. Mutual interests bind together. That means to be “in one spirit”. Sometimes you can have the same conviction, but you may not want to stand up for that conviction. That is why it is important that we also fight together “with one mind” (cf. Acts 4:32). This is lacking sometimes even among very committed people.

We can take up a fight if we are inspired and convinced of the matter that we stand for. The commitment in this fight is no less than the “faith of the gospel”. Jude calls to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 1:3). He means that we must hold on to all truths which God has given to us in His word and defend them against the attacks of the enemy. Paul says here that all what the Person of Jesus Christ is must be shown to the world. That provokes hostility and we must unite with Him against it. We have accepted Him, and when we are consistent in following Him, we partake of what was done to Him.

Phil 1:28. If you fight along with others like this, the enemy will try to intimidate you. He will use all means to terrify you. The word “alarmed” is used for horses that are frightened so that they refuse to go further. The devil can take up the form of “a roaring lion” (1Pet 5:8). He can show up his wide open mouth in many different ways. But when your confidence remains fixed on the Lord he can do you no harm. The Lord has overcome the world (Jn 16:33) and rendered the devil powerless (Heb 2:14). And if you resist the enemy this way he will have to admit his impotence.

This acknowledgment at the same time is a clear “sign of destruction”. The proof of destruction of the enemy lies in the fact that we are not terrified by him. Despite the world’s power at his disposal the enemy is powerless against the power of God. You need not fear however strong the opponents are. That does not mean that we should underestimate the power of the enemy. Never underestimate his power (Jude 1:9).

For the believer resistance from the world is always proof of his salvation. That seems to be a strange argument. To understand this we must bear in mind that we live in a world which is not yet openly ruled by Christ. For instance you can ask why committed Christians should suffer. If things go well with the opponents, and when they even have a say, is it not proof that God is on their side? It is quite the opposite. In 2 Thessalonians 1 you get the same proof (2Thes 1:4-7). You read that the believers are now oppressed, but when the Lord Jesus reigns, they will rule with Him. Today’s sufferings are proof that God is on the side of the believers.

Phil 1:29. However, struggle and suffering, resistance and opposition are not absolute proofs that you are on the right side. You may know that and it could give some comfort and you may consider it an inevitable evil from which unfortunately you cannot escape. But that is below the measure of faith you have. Suffering for Christ however strange that might sound is a privilege. To believe in Him is certainly a great privilege, and your experience too must affirm it. But in addition to the privilege of believing in Christ, to suffer for His sake is an equally great privilege (Acts 5:41; 1Pet 4:13). If we do not know this suffering, we must ask ourselves, if we desire to live Godly (2Tim 3:12).

This is all about suffering for His sake. This is a suffering that is your portion in this world, if you have chosen to be on the side of the rejected Lord and have chosen to walk in fellowship with Him. You will experience this suffering if you look at the world as an area where you have nothing to seek and nothing to lose. Are you ready for it?

Phil 1:30. What Paul wrote to the Philippians was not theory. He knew what trouble they had. They had seen that conflict in him when he was with them for the first time (Acts 16:22). Now when Epaphroditus read out this letter and explained it they heard of his conflict in the Roman imprisonment.

Paul connects with the Philippians in their conflict. This is true brotherly fellowship. He wants them to know that he is one with them. This is the only thing that can win hearts. Then you can be physically separated by distance but intimately connected in the heart..

Now read Philippians 1:25-30 again.

Reflection: How can you conduct worthy of the gospel?